Floral pollen is the male seed (sperm) of flowers which brings about the fertilization of the plant. This pollen consists of tiny corpuscles, 500/1000ths of a millimeter, and is produced in so-called "anthers" which form the upper part of the "stamens" of a plant. These stamens, which vary in number, according to the species of the plant, grow up from the base of the flower as delicate filaments which are broadened into small pads at their free ends. In these pads, the pollen is formed and from these anthers, the foraging bees collect their pollen.
The worker bees who collect pollen mold it into a solid mass with a little honey and then attach the resulting kernel to the outer part of their hind legs.
When a pollen collecting worker bee returns to its hive, it stores the pollen in a separate group of cells from the honey inside the honeycombs, to be taken out again when needed.
Since pollen is considered by many the perfect food, and by others, a diet supplement, it is collected from honeybees by means of pollen traps which are attached to their hives. In many of the prior art uses, a grid is placed over the hive entrance so that the bees have to push through it to get into the hive. In doing so, the pollen pellets are dislodged from their legs and fall into a trough.